Improvement in sewing-machines



l. MANNING.

Sewing-Machines.

Patented Aug. 4,1874.

Jim/a2 THE GRAPHIC CQPNDTD'LITK393-4l PARK PLACLNX.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

IRA MANNING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MELANO- THON S.FRINK, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 153,718, dated August4, 1874; application filed June 30, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA MANNING, of the city of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSewing-Machine Attachments; and that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1represents, in perspective, my improved attachment with so much of asewing-machine as will illustrate its connection and operationtherewith. Fig. 2 represents a side of the attachment.

My invention consists in combining with the ordinary treadle of asewing-machine a presser-bar lifter, which, though vibrating with thetreadle, does not move the presser-bar until the operator places thefront part of his foot upon the pad of the lifting-lever and bears uponit, and when released said lever assumes its position in the plane ofthe treadle and vibrates again with it.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A is the shaft or axis, upon which the treadle B is supported, andvibrates to work the sewing-machine in the usual well-known way.Attached to the heel of the treadle so that it may move thereon with andindependent of said treadle, there is a lever, O, which has a bow orbend, G, in it to pass down and under and around the axis A. On theextreme end of this lifting-lever 0 there is a pad, D, made adjustablethereon, for a purpose to be presently described. The liftinglever 0cannot rise above a certain height, as it passes under the shaft A andcannot rise above that shaft. Its passive condition is in the plane ofthe treadle, or nearly so, so that the operator at all times can move,slide, or turn the front part of hisfoot from the treadle onto the pad Dand press upon said pad when he desires to raise up the presser-bar orpresser-foot of the sewing-machine. On top of the lifting-lever 0 thereis an arm,,E, to a point on which, directly over the axial line of theshaft A, there is attached a connectingrod, a, I

"chine, the front end of which lever 12 takes under or around a collaror any other well-known connection or device, and by pressing upon thepad D with his foot the operator can raise or let down the presser-footat pleasure, while he is using both of his hands in guiding and turninghis work under the sewing point. When the pad D is relieved of pressurea spring, 0, or the spring of the presser-bar, will return it to itsnormal condition, where it continues to vibrate with the treadle, but inso vibrating does not vibrate the lever b, inasmuch as the point e,where the connecting-rod a is linked or united to the lifting-lever G,is directly over the axial line of the shaft A, and the motion at thesepoints is not appreciable.

The adjustment of the pad on the liftinglever, as at f, is for thepurpose of keeping said pad in, or practically in, the plane of thetreadle. The spring 0' will raise the lifting-lever up until it comesagainst the shaft A, and, of course, it can go no higher, and anyadditional height required by the padis attained by its adjustment at f.

The advantage of connecting the lifting-lever to and so as to vibratewith the treadle is, that in whatever position the treadle and feet ofthe operator may be, a slight lateral motion of the foot brings it ontothe pad of the lifting-lever at once.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- Incombination with the treadle of a sewing-machine, the lifting-lever O,pivoted thereto and moving therewith, said lever 0 being connected by arod, to, to a lever on the sewin g-machine arm, so that the operator mayat any and all times move his foot or a portion of it from the treadleto the lifting-lever for the purpose of raising the presser-bar, as andfor the purpose described.

Witnesses: IRA MANNING.

J OHN HELB, CHAS. JENNINGS.

